"Don't cry, Duo Duo. Mom will come to see you right away."
Hearing her daughter cry, Li Man felt very anxious and quickly comforted her.
"Mom, come quickly, they're all bullying me!" Huang Duo Duo sobbed, struggling for breath.
Li Man felt extremely distressed and said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, Mom will come right away. Don't cry, be a good girl."
After hanging up the phone, Li Man apologized apologetically to Huo Jian Sheng, saying, "I'm sorry, Huo Jian Sheng, I may not be able to have dinner with you. My daughter has something going on, and I have to go there now."
"What happened? Let me take you there," Huo Jian Sheng quickly offered.
"It's probably a conflict with her classmates. It's fine, I'll take a taxi there myself," Li Man replied.
Upon hearing Li Man's words, Huo Jian Sheng's face immediately darkened.
"I've already paid for the clothes. I'll treat you to dinner another day," Li Man handed the packaged clothes to Huo Jian Sheng and said.
Huo Jian Sheng reluctantly took the clothes but insisted, "Let me take you there. It's peak hours now, and it's difficult to get a taxi."
Li Man wanted to refuse, but it was indeed difficult to find a taxi at this time, and she didn't want her daughter to wait too long, so she agreed, "Okay, thank you."
"Let's go!"
Huo Jian Sheng's face looked gloomy, and he seemed somewhat unhappy.
Li Man followed behind Huo Jian Sheng, not daring to speak. She didn't know why he suddenly became unhappy, even though he was happy just now when buying clothes.
After getting into the car, Huo Jian Sheng remained silent.
Li Man didn't speak either because she was worried about her daughter.
The car moved slowly.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Man looked at the long line of cars outside the window, feeling extremely anxious.
Huang Duo Duo had been waiting for a long time but didn't see Li Man coming. She inexplicably became angry, thinking to herself that her mother was useless, taking so long even when coming to school!
"Hey, Duo Duo, didn't you say your mom was coming? Why hasn't she arrived after such a long time? Are you lying to me? Or did your mom run away with your dad?" Lin Na's words caused laughter among her classmates.
At this point, the classmates already knew that Huang Duo Duo's father, Huang De Han, had run away, and their eyes were filled with schadenfreude.
Huang Duo Duo was infuriated, her face turning red. She picked up her phone and called Li Man again.
Li Man quickly answered when she saw her daughter's call.
"Are you coming or not? If you're not coming, just say it. Why do you have to lie to me?" Huang Duo Duo's angry voice came through the phone.
Li Man quickly said, "I'm on my way, there's heavy traffic now, I can't do anything about it. Can you wait for me?"
Although she was unhappy with her daughter's tone, she patiently explained.
Huang Duo Duo's voice was loud, and Huo Jian Sheng, sitting beside her, heard it too. He glanced at the phone with dissatisfaction, his jaw tight, as if suppressing something.
"Can't you drive faster? Is the traffic jam that long? I think you just don't want to come!" Li Man helplessly explained, "There's heavy traffic now, I really can't go any faster."
"I'll give you ten minutes. If you can't make it in ten minutes, don't bother coming!" Huang Duo Duo said before hanging up the phone.
Li Man stared at her cellphone, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her.
Back then, because she had to take care of her mother-in-law, she didn't have much energy to take care of her daughter, so she sent her to a boarding school.
As a result, her daughter became less dependent on her and grew distant.
Huo Jian Sheng couldn't hold it in any longer and said, "Your daughter really needs a good scolding. If she were my daughter, I would definitely give her a good beating. How can a daughter talk to her mother like that?"
Li Man's eyes darkened, and she let out a sigh without saying a word.
